Spiritual Stability

2026, February, Issue 189

AH

Here it is, our real nature,

beyond space and time,

everything and beyond,

unchanging perfection,

perfect from the beginning,

perfect from before an infinite array

of beginnings,

Enlightenment itself,

this is how it has always been,

though here we are fretting

about this and that,

concerned that something

might be permanent,

our imagined reality,

imagined for what it is not,

not noticing that this is all

simply an illusion,

not noticing our own

distractions

have no basis in reality;

Bring us back!

Remain at ease!

Find Spiritual Stability

In our shared Oneness,

Our true essence,

As it is.

A poem by Robert Aho © 2026

When it comes to our spiritual life, especially if we are genuine in our examination of mind, we quickly discover how rapidly everything changes. Our conceptual mind is in constant motion, with thoughts, emotions and a barrage of agitation coming our way from every direction. We see that there is no stability whatsoever in our existence, at least as far as our mind is concerned there is none. Everything everywhere is in constant turbulent flux, all throughout the universe and infinite multiverse it is this way. To catch even a small glimpse would easily overwhelm us, if we are not adequately prepared.

Great masters talk about maintaining our awareness and finding stability. People mistakenly think that this means that we must become a great master in order to find Spiritual Stability, or they give up before they even start. There is some truth to this; however, as a Spiritual Practitioner myself, it occurred to me that we do have something that can bring us back into a stable calm level of awareness right from the very first step on the Path. It’s something that I write about quite a lot—our Aspiration to Awaken, which is the spark of Bodhicitta or Enlightenment Mind. We don’t need to become a great master in order to carry this spark in our heart center. We merely need to have some idea about our own Path to Awakening. This spark is the same as full enlightenment, even though it takes a great deal of meditative practice to realize that fully.

We nurture this Aspiration to Awaken as a brightness that we hold in our heart center, merely as an idea at first, then gradually understanding the relevance of this in more relaxed ways, in ways that bring us beyond belief and concept. We remain at ease with this bright condition of awareness, nurturing that, peeling away the many layers of obscurations, increasing our capacity any way that we can. This helps us to develop a more relaxed attitude about things, thus eliminating a great deal of agitation in our lives.

As an aid to our Spiritual Practice, we can utilize reminders, such as the Tibetan AH syllable, which is the sound we utter when we unify our meditative practices with Guru Yoga. I place this symbol throughout my house, as a gentle reminder to remain in awareness. This provides stability, because the symbol represents Ultimate Reality, which is the essence of our Spiritual Practice, even if we have not yet awakened to that condition beyond the relative mind.

So, it occurred to me that there’s really no point in delaying this aspect of our Spiritual Practice. If we Aspire to Awaken, and we have some understanding about just what it is that we are doing, we know that the essence of full enlightenment is being nurtured. We know that even a small spark of this knowledge is enough to sustain us no matter what happens in our life. As we keep this aspiration as most precious, we have what we need to bring us back. We have enough to anchor us down in these turbulent times.

Spiritual Practice has many dimensions, especially if we become familiar with the complete Path, putting that knowledge into everything that we do. Sometimes this becomes too much for people. They might even go a little crazy at some point, if they have not been mindful of the teachings.

This can be remedied by simply finding ways to remain at ease. If we become agitated as Spiritual Practitioners, then we must find a way to stabilize and maintain. In order to increase our capacity, we must understand how meditation works, we must understand what we need by looking at our own mind. It’s important to take care along the way. If we open our heart and mind too quickly, we might not know what to do when everything rushes in. If we remain in a dark place, allowing agitation to echo and amplify, we are in danger of losing our most precious gift.

In your Spiritual Practice, find every opportunity that you can to meditate. Learn Peaceful Abiding meditation, become a master at that. Let peacefulness dominate your personality. Learn to remain at ease in all situations. See the world for the illusion that it is, and don’t take it too seriously. Examine mind and cultivate Bodhicitta in all that you do. In time, as your capacity increases, you will be able to help others. Find a way to meditate in your dreams. Seek teachers and teachings that can help.

Knowing that Bodhicitta is the key to everything—awaken!

Blessings in Light,

Rigdzin Robert Aho